Loading or digging device



Aug. 20, 1963 c. DOYER LOADING OR DIGGING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 27, 1961 INVENTOR coma-1.15 paym BY M We! ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,101,142 LQADING R DIGGEJG DEVICE Cornelis Doyer, 6A Wladirnirlaands,

. Bussum, Netherlands Filed Dec. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 162,348 3 Claims.. (Cl. 1989) This invention relates to a loading or digging device, in particular to a device of the type having rotating loading or digging elements.

In general such devices supply the material to be loaded or dug to an endless belt which may deliver the material into a hopper or directly onto a truck. in such arrangements the main problem is the delivering of the material from the device onto the belt, in particular when handling materials such as clay which can not easily be unloaded.

It is an object of this invention to provide a device of the type referred to, which can be used for loading or digging materials like sand and grain as well as materials such as clay. Another object ofthe invention is to provide a device having means for facilitating the unloading of the material from the loading or digging elements.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear hereinafter.

To accomplish these objects the device according to this invention comprises a frame, a member carried in said frame and adapted to be rotated by driving means, at least one bucket pivotally connected to said member, spring means tending to swing said bucket about its pivots in the direction of rotation, and abutting means arranged so as to abruptly retard the movement of said bucket and to throw out the material contained in said bucket as a result of the temporary retardation of the rotation of said bucket.

By the abrupt retardation of the movement of the bucket the material is thrown away over a relatively constant path determined by the abutting means so that it can be delivered onto a transporting belt or even directly into the back of a truck.

The pivotal, spring loaded arrangement of the bucket can be utilized for improving the loading or digging capacity of the bucket. To this end, guiding means are arranged so as to swing the bucket over part of its travelling path about its pivots against the action of said'spring means and then to release the bucket whereby the bucket, after being released, is driven into the material to be loaded or dug by said spring means.

In some cases, in particular at relatively low rotational speeds, it is preferred that other guiding means are arranged so as to swing the bucket over another part of its traveling path about its pivots against the action of said spring means and then to release the bucket whereby the bucket is carrying out a swinging movement under the influence of the spring means at the moment of the abrupt interruption of the movement of the bucket by said abutting means.

In a preferred embodiment the guiding means cornprise two cooperating elements, a freely rotatable element and a guiding surface, one of which is mounted on the frame whereas the other element is connetced with the bucket.

"ice

For illustrating the invention, two embodiments thereof are shown in the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional elevation on the line 1-1 of FIG. 2 of the first embodiment; a

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional elevation on the line Ill-4H of FIG. 4 of the second embodiment, and

FIG. 4 is a plan view, partly in section on the line IVIV of FIG. 3, of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3.

In the first embodiment shown the device comprises i a frame formed by two plates 1 which are interconnected getting stuck when operating in rather dense material,

such as clay, or in case of caving in of the material to be loaded or to be dug.

by a tubular member 2. Two axles 3 and 4am journalled in the plates 1. In the middle portion the axle 3 carries three pairs of arms 5, to which arms, additional arms 6 carrying loading or digging buckets 7 are connected pivotally. -At both side portions the axle 3 is provided with transporting screws 8, the blades of which are converging towards the middle. The axle 4 carries a roller 9 having protruding longitudinal strips 10 The frame is resting on the roller 9 and on two adjustable supports 11 which are pivotally connected at 12 to the plates 1 and are fixed on a screw-threaded pin 14 by means of nuts 13. V

Torsion springs 15' act-on the arms *6 carrying the buckets 7 and try to swing the arms 6 in the direction of the arrow P about the pivot 16'. Plates 17 are secured to the tubular member 2 and are provided with recesses 18. Rollers 19 carried on the arms 6 of the buckets 7 cooperate with the circumference of each recess 18 in order to guide the buckets during rotation of the axle 3 in the direction of the arrow P The bucket 7 shown in FIG. 1 in full lines i a position wherein the torsion springs 15 are stretched by the cooperation of the rollers 19 with the circumferential portions 2!} of the recess 18. When the arms 5 of this bucket rotate further in the direction of the arrow P the rollers 19 are released from the guiding portion 20 at the point 21 whereupon the bucket 7 is swung by the torsion springs 15 in the direction of the arrow P and is driven into the materialto be loaded or to be dug.

' In a further portion of the path of the bucket the rollers 19 come into contact with the circumferential portions 22 of the recesses 18 (see the bucket 7 shown in FIG. 1 in dotted lines). The guidings 22 have such a shape that their distance from the center line of the axle 3 diminishes gradually whereby the torison' springs 15 are stretched again. At the point 23 the rollers 19 are released so that the arms '6 carrying the bucket suddenly swing in a forward direction until the rollers 19 abut against point 24- at the beginning of the circumferential portions 20. At the end of this swinging movement (see the positions 19" and 19" of the rollers shown in dotted lines) the material contained in the bucket 7 is thrown out by the abutting of the rollers 19 against the points 24 of the recesses 18. The path described by the leadhig edge of the buckets '7 is indicated by the dotted line 25.

. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the material is thrown onto a transporting belt 26. The loading or digging device is connected to the transporting device by clamp elements 29, 30 tightened by bolts 27 and nuts 28. These clamp elements are gripping around the tubular member 2 of the loading or digging device, on the one hand, and around the axle 31 of the lower roller of the transporting device, on the other hand. The axle 31 carries a gear wheel 32 for driving the lower roller of the belt 2 6 through a motor (not shown); at the opposite end the axle 31 is extended and is provided with a second gear wheel 33 for driving the loading or digging device through a chain 34 and a sprocket 35 secured on the axle 3.

A plate 36 is rotatably arranged on the axle 4 of the roller 9 and an operating lever 37 is secured to the plate 36. Two axles 3'8 and 39 each carrying two interconnected gears 40, 4-1 and 42, 43*, respectively, are journalled in the plate 36. A chain 44 is applied to the gears 41, 43 and to a sprocket 45 secured on the axle 4. By operating the lever .37 each of the gears 49 and 42 can be brought into engagement with the driving chain 34 of the axle 3 so that the roller 9 may be driven in the one or the other direction for moving theloading or digging device together with the transporting device towards or from the material to be loaded or to be dug.

The embodiment shown in the FIGS. 3 and 4 also has two frame plates 1 which are supported in a manner not illustrated in the drawing. An axle 3 is journalled in the plates 1. In this embodiment the axle carries two pairs of arms 5, to which plate-like extensions 6 of loading or digging buckets 7 are connected pivotally. Torsion springs 15 act on the extensions 6 of the buckets 7 and try to swing the buckets 7 in the direction of the arrow P about the pivots 16.

Members '47 serving as bearings for the axle 3 are secured to the plates 1 by rrieans of flanges 46 and carry cams 48. Rollers 19 carried by the plate-like extensions 6 of the buckets 7 cooperate with the periphery of the cams 43 to guide the buckets While rotating with the axle 3 in the direction of the arrow P The bucket 7 shown in the right hand side of FIG. 3 in full lines has a position wherein the torsion spring 15 is stretched by the cooperation of the rollers with the peripheral portions 50 of the cams 48 serving as guides. When the axle 3 with the buckets 7 rotates further in the direction of the arrow P the rollers 19, after passing point 51, are not kept anymore by the cams 4- 8 in a path radially remote from the axle 3 so that the bucket 7 in question is swung by the torsion spring 15 in the direction of the arrow P and is driven into the material to be loaded or to be dug. Dependent on several factors, e.g. the rotational speed and the nature of the material to be handled, the rollers 19 will follow the periphery of the cams 4 8 (as in the case with the bucket shown in dotted lines) or will contact the cam portion 52 having a smaller radius not before a point located at a certain distance from the transitional portion.

When the axle 3 is rotating further in the direction of the arrow P the rollers 19 start with following the peripheral portions 54 of the cams 48, which portions have the same function as point 24 of the circumference of the recesses 18 in the embodiment shown in the FIGS. 1 and 2. As a matter of fact, the portion 54 serves as an abutting means for abruptly retarding the movement of the bucket 7 so that the material contained in said bucket is thrown out. The path described by the leading edge of the buckets 7 is indicated by the dotted line 25. The axle 3 is driven through a chain 34 and a sprocket 35 secured on the axle 3.

In addition to the constructional differences between the guiding means of both embodiments, the embodiment shown in the FIGS. 3 and 4 is distinguished from that according to the FIGS. 1 and Z in that in the former there is no forced swinging movement of the buckets at the moment of abruptly retarding the movement of the buckets as a result of the fact that the rollers 19 start with following the peripheral portions 54 of the cams 48.

It will be apparent that guiding and abutting of the buckets can also take place with the aid of rotatable elements carried by the frame and guiding means, rotatable or not, arranged at the buckets. Thus, for example, relatively large wheels having rubber tires or series of rollers may be arranged rotatably to the frame to obtain the desired guiding of the buckets.

In the embodiments shown the buckets pick up the material from below upwards and throw it away rearwards over the axle 3. However, the device may also be carried out in such a manner that the buckets dig away the material from above downwards and throw it away under the axle 3. in this case the axle 3 should be arranged in the frame in a reversed position and the guiding means should release the rollers 19 at about the lowest point or somewhat further whereby the material is thrown out in a steeper path than in the first mentioned case. By suitably choosing the rotational speed it is possible to throw out the material in such a manner that after having reached the highest point of the throwing path the material falls down in a substantially vertical column.

The device according to the invention may be used for many applications, such as loading sand, gravel and grain, digging away earth, even clay, and making trenches. In the last mentioned case the device will be carried out in a rather narrow construction and may be provided at the outer side of the frame plates with short transporting screws or knives instead of the transporting screws 8 shown in the FIGS. 1 and 2.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are'possible in the light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What I claim is: i

1. A loading and digging device comprising a frame, a rotatable member carried in said frame, driving means connected to rotate said member, at least one bucket pivot-ally connected to said member, spring means tending to swing said bucket about its pivot in the direction of rotation of said member and adapted to extend the bucket nad-ially of said member, a cam follower secured to said bucket, a cam guide cooperating with said follower and having a portion arranged to swing said bucket during part of its travel path about its pivot against the action of said spring means and then to release said bucket for acceleration by the spring to drive the bucket into material to be loaded, and an abutment on said cam guide positioned to suddenly retard the movement of said bucket in another pant of its travel whereby to throw out material contained in said bucket.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising means on said cam guide cooperating with said follower to swing said bucket during said other part of its travel path about its pivot against the action of said spring means and then to release said bucket for causing it to carry out a swinging movement under the influence of said spring means at the moment preceding the abrupt retardation of the movement of said bucket by said abutment.

3. The device as defined in claim '1 wherein said rotatable member is an axle carrying a radial arm, said bucket having an arm pivoted to said radial arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,245,656 Anderson Nov. 6, 1917 2,738,865, Howard Mar. 20, 1956 2,755,912 Ashton July 24, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 21,144 Netherlands May 15, 1930 317,044 Switzerland Dec. 29, 1956 

1. A LOADING AND DIGGING DEVICE COMPRISING A FRAME, A ROTATABLE MEMBER CARRIED IN SAID FRAME, DRIVING MEANS CONNECTED TO ROTATE SAID MEMBER, AT LEAST ONE BUCKET PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID MEMBER, SPRING MEANS TENDING TO SWING SAID BUCKET ABOUT ITS PIVOT IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID MEMBER AND ADAPTED TO EXTEND THE BUCKET RADIALLY OF SAID MEMBER, A CAM FOLLOWER SECURED TO SAID BUCKET, A CAM GUIDE COOPERATING WITH SAID FOLLOWER AND HAVING A PORTION ARRANGED TO SWING SAID BUCKET DURING 